Nugara

Nugara is a contemporary Italian jazz trio born from the fortunate meeting of three young musicians awarded scholarships from the Nuoro Jazz 2021 seminar. In just a few years, they established themselves as one of the most promising and successful realities in the Italian jazz scene, winners of important awards and protagonists of over 70 concerts in Italy and abroad. The project takes its name from the ancient Sardinian toponym Nùgoro (Nuoro), a tribute to the roots and atmosphere that inspired the formation of the group: three musical personalities from different cities who converge in a common sound. Francesco Negri on piano, Viden Spassov on double bass and Francesco V. Parsi on drums bring to the project wide stylistic baggage, from modern jazz to classical music, from rock and pop to folk and world music inflections, with a strong propensity for sound research and original writing. This mixture of backgrounds is an integral part of the group's sonic aesthetic and defines the compositional character of their songs. Their first album, Point of Convergency, was released on June 16, 2023, by GleAM Records. The album features eight tracks in which modern atmospheres are intertwined with evocative melodies and arrangements that leave room for improvisation as well as compositional structure. The acclaimed violinist Anäis Drago appears as a guest on some tracks, adding a solo timbre that enriches the trio's internal dialogue. The work has received recognition from the specialized press and positive feedback from prominent figures in the Italian jazz scene including Paolo Fresu and Dado Moroni.

On the live front, the trio has supported two intense seasons, the last of which is still ongoing (2023-25) with over 70 concerts to its credit, supporting two European tours supported by the JazzItAboad calls of Italia Music Export, Italian Music Lab and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Oltreconfine conceived by MIDJ and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with concerts in important venues in Germany, England, Spain, France, Georgia, Bulgaria, Austria, Holland and Belgium. In Italy, they were the protagonists of two national tours supported by the Per Chi Crea call, with the MiC and SIAE. Among the most important festivals and relevant stages are: Avignon Jazz Festival, Monfrà Jazz Festival, Abbazie Jazz Festival, Casa del Jazz (Rome), Napoli Jazz Club, Peperoncino Jazz Festival, Barga Jazz Festival, Institute of Culture of Madrid and many others. Their new work, "The Last Question", is the expression of their new musical research.

Nugara Trio: The Last Question

Read "The Last Question" reviewed by Neil Duggan

by Neil Duggan
November 28, 2025

The Last Question is the second album from Nugara Trio, an Italian band comprising pianist Francesco Negri, bassist Viden Spassov and drummer Francesco V. Parsi. Conceived as a concept album, the title is drawn from an Isaac Asimov short story exploring the ultimate fate of the universe. This narrative forms the framework uniting the album's nine compositions. While such subject matter might suggest a synthesizer-heavy fusion album brimming with robotic sounds, the reality is far more organic: this is simply ...

1/2 "This is simply a terrific piano trio release, with a twist. That twist is the addition of the outstanding trumpeter Giovanni Falzone on four tracks; his creativity blends seamlessly into the project, adding color and extending Nugara's soundscape. Each member of the trio brings an equal voice to the album's complex, melodic flow. The compositions are consistently strong, so strong that picking highlights is a fool's errand. Each melody feels fluent and memorable and the music's inclusive spirit draws the listener in with its blend of warm tonal colors, punchy rhythmic statements and tight ensemble interplay that shifts between passionate intensity and gentle reflection." Neil Duggan - All About Jazz

1/2 "This is simply a terrific piano trio release, with a twist. That twist is the addition of the outstanding trumpeter Giovanni Falzone on four tracks; his creativity blends seamlessly into the project, adding color and extending Nugara's soundscape. Each member of the trio brings an equal voice to the album's complex, melodic flow. The compositions are consistently strong, so strong that picking highlights is a fool's errand. Each melody feels fluent and memorable and the music's inclusive spirit draws the listener in with its blend of warm tonal colors, punchy rhythmic statements and tight ensemble interplay that shifts between passionate intensity and gentle reflection." Neil Duggan - All About Jazz

"Their music soars, but it remains unmistakably grounded in the human experience: its uncertainties, its hopes, its quiet astonishments. In the end, The Last Question feels less like a speculative journey into cosmic entropy than a reminder that imagination and intellect are not opposing forces. They coexist, shaping one another, giving form to questions we may never fully answer. And perhaps that is precisely where this trio’s singular beauty lies." - Thierry De Clemensat - Paris Move (France)

"Viden Spassov, remarqué dans le disque d’Anais Drago & The Jellyfish consacré à Frank Zappa, contribue à la réussite des morceaux par sa pulsation efficace. Plus enclin à la démonstration, le pianiste Francesco Negri étoffe ses improvisations tout en ciblant l’équité entre rythme et harmonie. Bien décidé à ne pas submerger ses partenaires, Francesco Parsi évite les figures démonstratives en privilégiant un jeu méthodique à la batterie." Mario Borroni - Citizen Jazz (France)

“Atmosfere estremamente ben connesse con eleganza, gusto e che riescono a mettere in bella evidenza le personalità e la conoscenza dei molteplici linguaggi musicali di Francesco Negri, di Viden Spassov e di Francesco V. Parsi. Questo è già un Trio con la T maiuscola e con ancora ampissimi margini di crescita. Bravi!” Dado Moroni

«Point Of Convergency» fissa le regole d'ingaggio di un lavoro paritetico che travalica il virtuosismo pianistico di maniera deviando il flusso spazio-temporale dell'esecuzione e sedando ogni tentativo euristico di scontata classificazione del rapporto a tre nell'ambito del jazz contemporaneo.” Francesco Cataldo Verrina

"From the seminars of Nuoro Jazz 2021 came this magnificent sound creature that brings together three young talents of whom we will hear about: Francesco Blacks on piano, Video Spassov on bass, Francesco Parsi on drums. Add the silvery and unpredictable touch of Anaïs Drago's violin, and you have a "point of convergence" that takes into account Latin, Balkan, Nordic, indie rock, new acoustic music, and a lot, a lot of jazz history, without sterile calligraphy or awe." Guido Festinese – Il Manifesto

"Like the vertices of a triangle that converge in a single central point, the three musicians evoke multiple languages in their compositions, expressing the main instances of contemporary Jazz and giving us an expanded vision of the piano trio." Enrico Merlin – Jazzit Magazine

"Point of Convergency is precious preservation and a look to the future, separation and rebirth, a Panta Rei of the elegant harmony of a musical sensibility that, we can say after listening to the album several times, in these times unfortunately close to barbarism, appears happily unusual." Fabio Ceccarelli – Roma in Jazz

"A very interesting work, a child of our days and above all an expression of both future potential and already documentable performances." Vittorio Formenti – Mescalina

The "point of convergence" of the title is to be found, here, in a pleasant Zen paradox: the acrobatic balance of different aesthetics all faced on an equal footing. Expect echoes of Keith Jarrett, references to Balkan odd times and Caribbean scents, romanticism tinged with melancholy, echoes of Nordic pianism and art rock spices, because this generation has really listened to everything. And he returns everything, with daring grace." Audio REVIEW Magazine

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